ZELIENOPLE — There will be no property tax increase in the borough’s 2017 budget.

The budget’s revenue and expense totals for 2017 are set at about $10.98 million, an increase of about $410,000 from this year.

The borough’s tax rate will remain at 5.31 mills.

A mill generates $1 in tax revenue for each $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. Each mill brings in $28,854.

“As a general principle, we tried to keep as much of the budget at the 2016 level as was possible to keep the overall budget increase in 2017 down,” according to a statement accompanying the budget. “This was not always successful due to the needs in the new year.”

Salary distributions for administration, water and electric funds have changed with the new budget via a new breakdown formula, with costs going down for the latter two.

“The old formula was based upon an auditor recommendation many years ago and we feel it is outdated,” according to the statement.

The new breakdown shows a 10 percent increase for administration to 34 percent, a 5 percent decrease for water to 33 percent and a 5 percent decrease in electric to 33 percent.

Borough manager Don Pepe said water and electric funds were “being charged too much.”

“We back those off and put the increase in the general fund,” Pepe said. “It’s the same amount, just distributed differently.”

The borough also is considering cash reserves for water to increase by more than $66,600. The cash reserve total would be about $183,400.

Fire fund totals also will decrease from $213,441 to $59,344. Pepe said this is because of the former borough fire department merging with Harmony’s volunteer fire department to form the Harmony Fire District.

New projects also are included for administration and public works, including the historical society grant, a new website renovation, the gateway sign project and landscaping care.

The historical society provided a $12,500 match last month for the $25,000 grant for historic building preservation.

The gateway sign project, which aims to put signs at the entrances of the borough to greet people, is budgeted at $22,830.

A new public works facility and a new salt shed also are being accounted for in the budget.

Officials plan to use the former fire department facility on West Beaver Street for public works, which will house electric, water and streets departments. About $30,000 is budgeted to refurbish the facility.

“We have already begun moving into that building,” Pepe said.

The salt shed, expected to be built this spring near the new public works facility, is budgeted at $85,000.

Donations also have increased “a great deal.”

“Due to necessary circumstances we expended more in this line item by $2,000 or so and spent $9,000,” the budget states.

The borough has budgeted donations at $7,000 for next year.

Council’s last meeting of the year will be at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 23. It will not convene on its regularly scheduled date of Dec. 26.